Street food is a treasure house of local culinary traditions and street food vendors play a dynamic role in keeping those culinary traditions alive. With the intention of promoting Street Food Entrepreneurship and cementing the identity of street food vendors, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) organised National Street Food Festival 2015. With food stalls from around 25 states, cooking demonstrations and conversations with leading food experts and chefs, the food fest was hard to miss.
We went and gorged on street foods we have never tried before, because well, when was the last time you did something for the first time? Here’s our list of firsts, and our reactions on that first bite:
1. Dabeli at Gujarat Stall
Photo by Sonal Chanana
“How is this any different from Vada Pav?”
We got over this initial skepticism pretty soon, as we stood in the line, drooling at the sight of dabeli being prepared.
Okay, this looks spicy with all these orange colors. Okay, maybe not. That’s probably just the garnish. The filling is actually quite different. It is another version of vada pav made with a sweet and spicy potato mixture which is filled into a small burger bun and then topped with onion, fresh garlic chutney, peanuts and sev.
2. Moong Dal ka Halwa at Rajasthan Stall
Photo by Sonal Chanana
We have to admit, this might not be the first time we tried it, but it was definitely the first time we were savoring the original flavors from Rajasthan.
We are always excited at the prospect of green gram being transformed into this mouth-watering dessert that tastes absolute heaven, and here we were inhaling the vapours from it in the chill of winters. Our reaction? Delightful!
3. Litti Chokha at Bihar Stall
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
While one of us remarked, “Litti chokha is love!”, the others were naturally inclined to taste-test this famous Bihari cuisine.
These golden-brown flattened balls, with the hot gravy of mashed potatoes had us at hello. We loved them for how different they tasted from all other local cuisines we’d been having here in Delhi. We’d kill for that filling.
4. Litti Meat at (yet another) Bihar Stall
Photo by Sonal Chanana
Say whaaaaa? Even our friend who was a regular Litti Chokha glutton was curious now. Enough said.
5. Aligarh ke Aggarwal ki Kachori
Photo by Sonal Chanana
There is raita. There is gravy with mashed potatoes. (Seriously, what is it with potatoes and street food?!). And then there are two Kachoris with just the right flavour for fried snacks. We learnt it is the favourite breakfast option for many people in Aligarh. We’d vouch for this deep-fried puff with crispy crust.
6. Banarasi Paan
Photo by Sonal Chanana
What’s a street food festival without the quintessential Banarasi (meetha) pan. So when we asked the vendor to make a bigger one for us, he kept asking us if would eat it all. He stuffed it as much as he could, and with the burst of flavors rendered by honey, gulkandh, saunf, dry coconut (and so much more) covered in the betel leaves, we couldn’t help but grin as we hogged down the assortment.
7. Nariyal Ladoo
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
This looks deceptively simple for a ladoo. So soft, gooey and melt-in-the-mouth that we wouldn’t believe we’d gobbled it already had it not been for the empty plates.
8. Mirch ka Pakoda at Rajasthan Stall
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
Spicy, obviously. These were not your regular besan pakodas. Their batter was dal in all its glory. Water, please.
9. Pani Pitha at Assam Stall
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
Looks can be dangerously deceptive. If you think this is a dosa and you’d get away with a light meal, you are wrong.
10. Chicken Pakoda at Tamil Nadu Stall
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
“It’s spicy.”
*sips water*
*takes another bite*
“Damn, it really is spicy.”
11. Noodle Burger at Punjab Stall
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
There is no way on this earth a noodle burger could belong to Punjab. But, well, as long as there is a fusion of two of our favourite foods, we won’t be a stickler for its origins. To say we devoured it hastily like it’s the end of the world would be an understatement. To top it off, we licked off the mayo sauce completely.
12. Kahwah at Kashmir Stall
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
This has been on our bucket list for as long as we can remember. After the chomping we’d been doing, we really needed a cup of this refreshing drink. Considering the winter chills, we thank the heavens for Kahwah.
13. Kulfi
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
We tried practicing the noble ideal of self-control. We really did. Because how different could this Kulfi be from the ones we regularly have? But they had flavours ranging from Paan, Chocolate and Rose. And these kulfis were not taking no for an answer. The Paan Kulfi was double the fun – Paan and Kulfi. Chocolate and Rose were unalloyed, yet the most sinful Kulfis we ever had.
14. Galouti Kebab with Ulte Tawe ka Parantha at Lucknow Stall
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
We tried this just because we wanted to know how something that sounds this geometric would taste. Trust Lucknow for kebabs. We just have two words: soft and scrumptious.
15. Rabri Jalebi At Rajasthan Stall
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
We told you a while back that Rabri Jalebi should be in your desserts starter-kit for winters. There was no way we weren’t trying it. And for some of us it was the first time. We’d testify what they say about Rabri Jalebi: they hit the right sweet spots.
16. Roller Kulfi Ice Cream
Photo by Mehak Dhawan
If there’s one thing we still can’t define our feelings for, it is this.
So, here’s the deal: a roller consists of a cylinder of salted ice. The cylinder is being rotated. And the kulfi is then scaped off the roller. We have no idea how, but the fruits and flavours were all intact in what we finally ate.
We tried enough new things for a day. That’s all, folks!